Assume There is Adoption Trauma in Adoptees

From the American Academy of Pediatrics new guide:

 

“Assume that all children who have been adopted or fostered have experienced trauma.”

Yes, you heard that right. It goes on in a very good way that can help people understand that we are not saying ALL adoptees will have strong affects of the trauma, but that some might. The same thought is verified by listen to many adoptees say that they identify with the Primal Wound, while many others will not

“Pediatricians care for children before, during, and after  traumatic experiences and must be skilled in identifying  the many presentations of toxic stress. Assume that  all children who have been adopted or fostered have  experienced trauma. Just as not every child exposed to  tuberculosis develops hemoptysis, fevers, and weight  loss, not every child exposed to stress will develop  trauma symptoms.

However, practice standards demand  that all children exposed to either tuberculosis or trauma  should be screened and tested. With tuberculosis, some  exposed will show no clinical disease, some will have  latent disease, and some will be ill. The same 3 outcomes  apply to trauma exposure. The pediatrician must assume  that such exposure could have profoundly impacted the  child, and must use history taking, surveillance questions,  and screening tools to accurately assess trauma’s impact.”

Get the full PDF here: Helping Foster and Adoptive Families Cope With Trauma by the American Academy of Pediatrics

While the guide does not directly say that the separation of a mother and child is the cause of the trauma, I find it telling that they say : Assume and ALL.